January 1, 2025 | Volunteering

Greetings, Volunteers!

Happy New Year! Start the year off positively by giving your time, scroll on to check out this month's volunteer opportunities!

To sign up for an event this month and receive a month of free Garbage to Garden service, RSVP by email and we will help answer any questions you may have. Then simply send confirmation of your volunteer hours to volunteer@garbagetogarden.org to receive credit.

Happy Composting,

The Somerville Winter Farmer's Market runs every Saturday from November 2nd through April 12th except for November 30th and December 28th. They need 5 to 10 volunteers per Saturday.

Volunteer jobs include:
- Set up/ Break down the market
- Manage booth support and vendor support (selling merch, answering questions, etc.)
- Welcoming guests, directing guests
- Counting guest attendance
- Take photos during the market and create social media content
- Help with translation/interpretation assistance -- looking for folks who speak multiple languages

Fill out this form to sign up! 

MAMAS (Mutual Aid Medford And Somerville) facilitates neighbors helping neighbors. For example: they connect people who need groceries with people who have cars to deliver them, they accept monetary donations and redistribute the money to people who request it, they help people organize neighborhood events and set up neighborhood group communication channels, we find people who have yard space for gardening and coordinate volunteers to set up and maintain shared gardens to grow food for their communities.

Sign up to learn more about opportunities within each group by clicking the links below:

• Sign up for the groceries/deliveries email list,
• Fill out the gardening interest form to connect with that group,
• Browse the general list of MAMAS volunteer opportunities,
...or email askyourmamas@gmail.com about other volunteer roles!

Help out at Shepherd's Kitchen Food Pantry! Email laccime1@gmail.com to sign up or receive more information.

Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC) redistributes excess food to people experiencing food insecurity.

In general they're always looking for additional volunteers to help them pick up food donations and deliver them to their nonprofit recipient partners serving individuals and families experiencing food insecurity. They have events seven days a week morning, afternoon, and evening. 

Sign up here, then email volunteer@garbagetogarden.org to receive credit. 

Second Chances serves clients who are sheltered or homeless in the Somerville and Cambridge areas by providing free, empowering clothing. They thrive with the help of motivated, dependable volunteers and those committed to helping those in need.
There are many ongoing volunteer opportunities at Second Chances, which may include:

-Host an online fundraiser

-Picking up clothes for donations

-Hosting a clothing drive

Food Link is a community organization that envisions a world in which everyone has
abundant nourishing food and a food system in which no edible food goes to waste. Every day we rescue 3,000+ lbs of surplus fresh food that would otherwise be wasted and deliver it to community organizations serving people in need. We invite you to join us.

Volunteer shifts are available 7 days a week. You can make a regular commitment to a weekly
or biweekly time slot and/or be on our fill-in list to help out with shifts as they work for you.

Grocery Store (Age requirement: 16+. Sorter-Drivers must have a valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle)
● Sorter-Packer: Groups of 2-5 volunteers meet at the loading dock of a grocery store to sort/pack rescued food.
● Sorter-Driver: Same as above. When sorting is complete, load boxes of food into your
personal vehicle for transport to a recipient agency or back to the Food Link Hub.

Pickups/Deliveries (Age Requirement: Drivers must be 16+, have a valid driver’s license, and access to a vehicle. Passengers of any age are welcome to ride in the car and help with loading & unloading)
● Delivery Driver
○ Pickup route: Pick up food from food donors (bakeries, farmers markets, small
grocery stores, etc.) and bring it to a recipient agency or to the Food Link Hub.
○ Delivery route: Pick up food from the Food Link Hub and deliver it to a recipient
agency.

Van Driver (Drivers must be 18+ and have a valid driver’s license)
● Van Driver: Drive the Food Link vans to various destinations including Grocery shifts,
Pickup/Delivery shifts, and bulk-pickups - large size pickups from wholesale partners.
Food Link Hub (Age Requirement: 9+. Ages 9-13 must be accompanied by an adult)
● Hub Shifts: Assist with daily operating tasks including sorting produce and
nonperishable food, loading/unloading vehicles at the dock, repacking food and bagging
bread, composting, clean-up tasks, and other needs that arise.

Sign up on their website.

The Mystic River Watershed Association is working towards a healthy, vibrant, and resilient Mystic River watershed. In the spring, summer, and fall, they will need volunteer help to monitor river herring, remove trash and invasive species, plant trees, de-pave driveways, and more. Sign up for their monthly eNewsletter to be notified of volunteer opportunities and other ways to get involved.